The Things They Never Knew
by Pet Darkling
Summary: They are two of the scariest captains in the Soul Soceity and they knew that, but what they didn't know was how they felt about each other. Zaraki X Unohana
1. The Things They Never Knew

_So, I've been home sick with an unknown illness and spending way too much time on . But it has been giving me some interesting ideas… this is one of them. This is a little story about one Zaraki Kenpachi and one Unohana Retsu. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way, shape, or form._

The Things They Never Knew

He always knew she was a girl, how could he not? What he didn't know was that she would be the girl to catch his attention. It had been years, no decades since he last even looked at a woman in a sexual way. And to be completely honest, he never saw it coming.

XXX

She had always noticed him, it was hard not to. He was strong and annoying, but for some strange reason at every captain's meeting she found him… well, amusing. She never thought much about dating; she always blended into the background. You only remembered Unohana- taichou when you were dieing, but it really never bothered her. And if that was the case then Zaraki- taichou's men thought about her a lot.

XXX

The men of Squad Eleven feared two things, no they feared two people. They were scared of their Taichou and day he lost his eye patch. And if that didn't scare them enough they would then have to see Unohana- taichou. She was the silent kind of scary. You never heard her coming, but she always made you feel like you did something wrong. Or in their case you were taking up beds in her hospital. However, the men of Squad Eleven were not alone. The men and women of Squad Four had the same fears… but for different reasons.

"Taichou, we have more men coming in from the Division Eleven training grounds," Isane said as she quickly passed by her Taichou's office rushing into one of the rooms full of bleeding shinigamis. Retsu sighed, apparently it was going to be a very long day and it was still morning.

"Zaraki- taichou must be upset about the new regulations Yamamoto- soutaichou has ordered," She said to herself as she gazed into her cup of tea before setting it down and walking out towards the herd of Division Eleven men. "I hope we can send all of them back in one piece, or I'm going to have to go over there and have a word with him." As she walked from room to room checking up on her own men and making sure that they weren't being harassed she felt the rooms begin to spin.

"Taichou! Are you alright?" her Seventh seat yelled has he dropped the rolls of gauze he was carrying and ran to catch her. But it wasn't Hanataro that caught her. Looking up she saw none other then the man that had been sending so many shinigami into her division today.

"Z-zaraki- taichou," she muttered, looking as if she was going to pass out. He glanced down at her and then back to her now cowering seventh seat.

"Relax, I'm not going to heart her, I'll just take her back to her office." Kenpachi grunted at the small shinigami.

Hanataro pointed down the hall to the open door leading to her office. Muttering incoherently he said, "th-that w-way." Kenapchi just grunted in recognition as he carried her off.

As he reached her office he could feel the countless number of eyes that fallowed him, he just turned and growled at them. They all went running in every direction. Once he was inside her office he slid the door closed and lied her on ground folding his haori as best he could to make a pillow. When he showed up at the Fourth Division he had all intenstions of having the minor cuts on his chest healed and then dragging most of him men back to the trianing grounds. He never once imagined that he would be in Unohana- taichou's office with her passed out. Although he knew there wasn't much he could do for her, not being well versed in kido he could not help that his eyes began to trace her flawless face. Slowly his hands began to trace where his eyes had been. Her skin was so soft in comparison to his rough, callased hands. He had no idea he was even touching her, untill her eyes began to open.

"Ken-pachi?" she mummbled.

A bit concered he quikly and queitly scooted backwords in the hopes that she would fall back asleep. And luckly for him, she did. He took advantage of this and moved to leave her office. He couldn't trust himself, but more concerning was the fact that he couldn't explain this feeling in his stomach. Being cautious, which for him was rather difficult, he slipped back out of Unohana's office and down the hall grabbing Ikkaku and Yumichika on his way out.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika lets move," He barked as he passed through the Division Four main door.

"Hai taichou," they responded fallowing in suit.

The walk back to the Division Eleven barracks was a surprisingly silent. The third and fifth seat mearly looked at each other and shurrged, their taichou had been acting strange since the captians meeting a few days ago, but neither of them were willing to say anything in fear of the reprocutions. As they walked back Kenapchi couldn't get the thought of the way Unohana looked out of his mind. Even worse was the fact that he couldn't figure why he couldn't stop thinking about here. He was actualy beginning to worry, which he only did when it came to Yachiru's well being.

XXX

When Retsu woke up she was a little startled to find that she was on the floor of her office. She was even more startled by the fact that she was using Zaraki- taichou's haori as a pillow. _He must have been the one to catch me, but why was he here?_ Simple questions that left her extreamly puzzled. Regaining her barings, she stood up and made her way over towards her desk, slipping his haori into one of the drawers to return to him later. She took a deep breath and braved the world outside of her office.

It was already late into the evening when she made her rounds to check on the members of the Eleventh Division that were still not well enough to return to their barracks. Everything seemed to be as it should, it apperarded that her Division was able to keep everything under control.

"Taichou you're awake!" Isane said with glee at the sight of her taichou up and about.

"Yes, and feeling much better. It looks like you had your hands full while I was asleep," Retsu spoke inquisitivly.

"Just the normal Division Eleven taining wounds. Nothing we couldn't handle. But it is very good to see you looking better." Isane bowed and countiued on with her rounds. Retsu returned her bow and contiued making her rounds. Before she realised it her feet had taken her out into the garden. It was a beautiful night in the Seireitei, the moon was full and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Retsu let out a slight sigh was she walked over to the cherry blossom tree. It was in full bloom, even the slightest breeze would rattle it just so and pettles would fall. There was a small sone bench under the tree which was perfect for nights like this when Retsu wanted to think. As she sat under the tree the happenings of that day just kept flooding back to her. She had no idea why Kenpachi had been there or why he had caught her. She never pegged him to be the kind of person that would care so much. _It must be something he has picked up for taking care of Yachiru. I bet he's one of those people who is only rough on the outside, he probabaly has the most gentile of hearts. _Her thoughts were finished when a warm breeze passed by, she closed her eyes and let the smell of the cherry blossoms fill her. It was nights like this where she would just unwind, she began to unbriad her hair and let the wind catch it. She kept catching herself sighing.

"I wonder what Zaraki- taicou is up to, or if he has calmed down," she said expecting no one to hear her.

"You could just ask me ya know," Kenpachi said making Retsu jump. She turned to meet his eyes staring right at hers. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear him sit down next to her.

"Zaraki- tachou you startled me, I wasn't aware you were here," she spoke in an attempt to regain her composer. "Are you well?"

"Just call me Kenpachi, I hate formalities." He grunted, looking over at her and noticing that she had her eyes fixed on her floded hands. "Um, I actualy came to make sure you were feeling all right. It doesn't look good if the head of medicen suddenly faints in her own hospital." Both Kenpachi and Retsu were a bit shocked by his general concern.

"Right, Kenpachi, thank you for your concern. I am feel much better now." She paused for a moment glanceing over at him to see if he was listening, only to find him looking directly at her. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but how did you know I was here?"

"You're Division is scared of me. Something about what I put my men through, frightens the weak. Its preaty easy to get things out of them, especialy your seventh seat." When he finished he could have sworn that he hear a light laugh coming from next to him, and he was right.

"As good of a healer as Hanataro is, he does frighten easily." And that was when she noticed that he was without his haori. "Oh, your haori, its still in my office. Should we go get it?" As she moved to stand she felt a hand grab her wrist. It wasn't a strong, forceful grasp like she expected it to be coming from Kenpachi, but instead it was warm and soft. "Is something wrong?"

Kenpachi looked puzzled for a matter of seconds before returning to his normal self, "No, nothings wrong. You're right I should probabaly get that before someone says something stupid." _The way his voice sounded it was as if he didn't want to leave that spot, but he was Kenpachi of Zaraki, it was not like him to want to sit under a sakura tree but then again maybe it is like him._ Retsu thought to herself has she led him back into the Division Four hospital.

XXX

Kenpachi couldn't explain the way he was acting. She was just another Captain, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. So why did he feel like he needed to make sure eveything was alright. She was in good hands with her men, but somehow he couldn't get her off of his mind.

It wasn't any better when he did go and see her. He had to deal with her men asking him questions. Lukily he managed to catch Hanataro and get it out of him, he should have known she would be in the garden, it was just like her. He didn't know why he couldn't take his eyes off of her, again. She was sitting under a sakura tree, but something was different. Her hair wasn't braided, she looked… amazing. You would have never guest that a true girl was hidden underneath the braid and haori. As he moved closer to her, he could hear her talking, about him. _Is she thinking about me?_ The thought puzzled him, he was just one of her fellow captains, he could have sworn he ment nothing to her.

When she convinced him to go and get his haori he knew that it was nothing, that his mind was just playing tricks on him. But he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He had never felt this way, he didn't know what this was. Standing in the door frame on her office, he couldn't help himself. There was an a fire within him, but it wasn't the passion of the fight. It was something else entirely. He put his haori back on and stood there for a few minutes, just watching her reorder the papers on her desk.

"Kenpachi, is there something else?" she asked noticing he was still standing there. And then out of no where she felt two strong arms around her waist. He was hugging her, but it wasn't the kind of hug you would get from a friend, it was warm and comforting. She felt protected in his arms. And she was truing a light shade of pink.

And then he wispered into her ear, "You should wear your hair down more often." Her shade of pink went to bight red. Then his arms slid out and she could feel him leave, but her body wouldn't move. She kept asking herself, _did that just happen?_

Once he said it, he couldn't believe he did. He had no idea why he sad it out loud. He was sure as hell thinking it, but he didn't mean to say it. Part of him was happy he did, while the other part was cursing at him for saying it. All he knew was that he said it, but he didn't want to be around for the sudden reaction. He was just going to brave the reaction he was going to get at the next days captains meeting.

X-end-X

_Author's Notes: Yay! This part is finished… for the ifrst time in a whle I'm suffering from serious writers block. Im so sorry if there are spelling mistakes for some unknown reason my spell check died after the first page. And I suck at spelling so might not have caught everything and lovely person I usualy have beta… is well… off in her won little world. But don't hurt her… its because we still haven't finished the next chapter in our co-story… Battle Amidst the Leaves ( a Naruto Bleach crossover )you can find it on Nejilovesyaoi's page. So if I don't update again soon that's why. –endofmylittlerant._


	2. The Way Their Hearts Work

_It had been a while since I decided that I wanted to write this story and unfortunately I have found myself writing it when I really should be doing other things, but enough about that. The story ended with Kenpachi's sudden sign of affection leaving Retsu very confused in her office. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way, shape, or form. BTW, this story takes place long before the winter war so Aizen, Gin, and Tousen are still captains._

The Things They Never Knew: 

The Way Their Hearts Work 

She stood there for a matter of minutes feeling his spiritual pressure move away, not at a quickened pace but a steady walk. The red from her face was still there as the thought of his strong arms around her waist and his words still replaying in her head. She was still having an inner battle on wither or not he was being truthful in his statement when a knock at the door shot her back to the present.

Isane was standing at the door to the office with her usual concerned look when she saw the redness on her taichou's face. Her mind began of rush full of improper thoughts of what Zaraki- taichou could have said or done to cause her beloved taichou to blush this badly. Seeing that her fukutaichou was defiantly concerned Retsu quickly straighten herself and assured Isane that everything was fine and that nothing happened. Her inner voice reminded her that it was a complete lie, but what Isane didn't know would hurt her for now. _Besides, it was probably nothing and I'm sure that I'm making more out of this then there is. _It was growing close to midnight and Retsu knew that if Isane didn't make it home, she would never make it back to work. Sending Hanataro to relieve the fukutaichou of her duties and send her home, Retsu began to truly wonder what all of it meant.

XXX

When the sun rose over the Seireitei all of the captains began to make their way over to the First Division barracks for their meeting. Kenpachi usually found the meetings to be a complete waste of time. To him they usually consisted of the old man telling him that his training tactics were uncalled for and that the Twelfth Division needed to stop blowing up their testing division every other week. And then the Clown would go on a rant about it not being his fault that the men that get sent to his division are unreliable. And so on, a total waste of time.

But for some reason he found himself heading to the First Division early today. He figured he could just say that he left early to miss Yachiru and her morning sugar high and leave it to his third and fifth seat to deal with her. But something inside of him was telling him that it was because he wanted to see Unohana-Taichou again, not that he would admit that to anyone. More times than not he was one of the last ones to show up to the meetings; never being late, but at the same time never being early. So when everyone started to file into the First Division they were surprised to find him already there, including Kuchiki- Taichou.

"Zaraki- Taichou, your Fukutaichou being that much of a handful these days?" Kuchiki asked poking fun.

"You wanna play babysitter again?" Kenpachi responded with a devils' smile. Kuchiki- Taichou just continued walking past him remembering what happened when he hosted the Shinigami Women's Association meeting.

"Zaraki- Taichou it is surprising to see you here this early," a sweet voice said from behind him. He instantly knew who it was and began to blush a little as he turned to greet a smiling face.

"Unohana- Taichou, uhh…" _Why am I at a loss for words_, "yeah, you know how the brat can get when she has sugar," he managed to mutter out.

Ukitake- Taichou and Kyoraku- Taichou both stopped just short of turning the corner when they heard two voices on the other side. They immediately recognized the voices to belong to Kenpachi and Retsu. They peeped around the corner and their suspicions were conformed. They turned and looked at each other and smiled, something was up. But they couldn't let anyone ruin the moment so when Soi Fong- Taichou come walking towards them, Ukitake- Taichou grabbed her and covered her mouth while Kyoraku- Taichou acted as lookout.

Soi Fong let out a muffled yell, "Ukitake- Taichou, let me go this instant."

"Sorry Soi Fong, I can't do that just yet," he said looking down at her with his classic smile that would make any girl forget why she was mad at him to begin with.

"Then give me one good reason not to kill you now," she argued glaring up at him. He looked over at Shunsui, who nodded and Jushiro tilted her head around the corner so that she could see Kenpachi and Retsu who were still talking. Her eyes widened, "you don't think?" And both men nodded in agreement. Jushiro let her go and all three of them leaned around the corner, but Kenpachi and Retsu were walking inside the meeting room. So they fallowed, not wanting to be reprimanded by Yamamoto- Soutaichou.

XXX

Retsu could feel a strange air of awkwardness throughout the meeting. During the meeting Ukitake- Taichou kept glancing at her, she began to wonder if he was beginning to feel weak or if there was something on his mind. However she also noticed that Kenpachi was shooting death glares over at Kyoraku- Taichou. She made a mental note to remind Shunsui that he was due for his annual check-up this month, she would interrogate him then.

After Retsu's attention had gone back to what Yamamoto- Soutaichou was telling them about Mayuri's request for more hollows for testing and needing a division to volunteer to retrieve them, her eyes shot over to Kenpachi in the hopes that he was not the one to volunteer. Thankfully Soi Fong had said that she would send the special ops to retrieve them. Retsu let out a sigh of relief, but wasn't exactly sure why. She was always generally concerned when any of her fellow shinigami had to purposely go up against hollows, but what she was feeling was more then just a general concern. She turned her eyes away from Yamamoto –Soutaichou and down towards her feet for a brief second her heart was fluttering.

XXX

Kenpachi wanted nothing more than to slug Shunsui. The Eighth Division Taichou was staring at him in a curious manner that made Kenpachi's blood boil. And to make it even worse when he wasn't mentally threatening to kill him, his eyes kept wondering over to where Retsu was standing just on the other side of Byakuya. Her expression changed so many times during the meeting that he had no clue what was going on in her mind, but he was curious. When his mind snapped back into the meeting he caught Soi Fong volunteering to go a retrieve hollows. _Damn, that would be a good excuse to kill something._ However the thought didn't last long, _did Retsu just sigh? She must be as board as me. Or is she relieved the Soi Fong is going?_ These thoughts were beginning to plague him. He couldn't understand why he always assumed she was thinking about him.

He couldn't have been more thankful then when Yamamoto said that they were dismissed. Normal he would have been the last one there and the first one out, but his time he actually took his time leaving. Instead of just bursting through the door, he walked like a normal person. This threw everyone off and he could tell. He felt like he should explain himself, but there was no need his ever hyper Fukutaichou was waiting for him outside the First Division barracks.

"Kenny what took you so long?" she whined at him as she hopped onto his shoulder. _There goes my chance._

"Nothing brat, long meeting," he responded with a grunt.

"Awww, Kenny don't be a meanie," the pink pixie said with a pout.

"You really shouldn't be so mean to Fukutaichou, Zaraki- Taichou," Retsu said handing Yachiru a lolie pop.

"Thanks Braid lady," Yachiru said with a smile. "You're always there to save me when Kenny is being mean."

"You know that's not going to help my problem," Kenpachi said looking over at Retsu. There was a smile on her face that made the large man blush very out of character.

"I know, I know, but I just can't help but be happy to see her smile," Retsu said not truly noticing Kenpachi's slight discomfort. "If she is ever too much of a hand full I don't mind taking her off of your hands for a little while. She might be a Fukutaichou, but at the same time she is still a little girl."

"You're a very brave women," Kenpachi said as his blush faded.

"I would have to when it comes to healing your men," she answered him with her signature smile never leaving her face. "You aren't always the kindest of men when it comes to your training sessions, or so I've seen the results." This took Kenpachi by surprise. She didn't seem to be the kind of person to joke around so lightly about the well being of others. But that just seemed to part of her charm.

"No better way to toughen them; then by making them bleed," he retorted. The longer he was standing there the more at ease he was feeling. There was just something in the way Retsu carried herself that made people feel comfortable. It was a shame that the comfort wouldn't last much longer.

"Kenny, how much longer are you gonna be," Yachiru whined as she finished her lolie pop in record time. "We can't leave Feathers in charge too long, you said so." Kenpachi let out a sigh, there was always something.

"Alright brat, we'll get going," he told her. _Not that I really want to._ "I guess Yumichika can't be trusted in charge for too long, but I could have sworn I told you to have Ikkaku watch over the division."

"You might want to get back then, if you can't remember who you left in charge," Retsu said patting Yachiru on the head. _Did she just make fun of me?_ Kenpachi thought to himself. He mumbled something and then walked off towards the Eleventh Division to make sure it was still standing. Retsu just watched as he walked away.

XXX

A little while after the Captains' meeting had ended and Kenpachi had walked back to the Eleventh Division, Retsu had found herself checking up on everything going on in her own division. It had been a quiet day so far, but that didn't always mean that it would stay that way. As she was sorting the papers on her desk she heard a knock at the door. _Now who could that be?_ "Come in," she answered. To her surprise it was Ukitake- Taichou and Kyoraku- Taichou outside her door. "What brings you two here today?" she asked hoping it was nothing serious. She motioned for them to sit down.

Jushiro was the first to speak, "Retsu, you know how we hate to pry but there is something that has been plaguing Shunsui and me," he took a short pause before continuing. "Is there something going on between you and Zaraki- Taichou?"

Retsu was defiantly caught off guard by their question. She wasn't a hundred percent sure how to answer. _If I tell them yes then it might be a lie, but if I tell them no it might also be a lie. They are my friends and they wouldn't ask if they were not concerned but I don't know what to tell them._ She pondered for a second more before looking directly at the two men and answering with a "Perhaps."

The men were stunned. Never in all of their years as captains together had Retsu kept something from them. It made the two even more curious. "Per-haps?" Shunsui questioned. "That's a very vague answer Retsu."

She just smiled at the two, "that's the only answer I can give you for that particular question." She felt very conniving, it was a feeling that she didn't experience too often. She had always been known for her skills and for her honesty, so it was a rarity when she was able to be her playful self.

"I guess if that's all you can tell us we won't bother you any longer."

"Shunsui, you know that it is past time for your physical. You really shouldn't keep skipping out on important things like your health," she said as the two men tried to exit her office. Shunsui slowly turned back around with his usual grin.

"Well now, I know I must have beeen forgetting something. I will have to come back for that appointment later. You know, very busy with everything," he was horrible at weaseling out of things. Jushiro was just smiling as his accomplice's misfortune. Since Jushiro was under Retsu's care on a regular basis he never had to worry about missing appointments.

"No, I really think that it would be best if we got it over with now, since your hear and all. Why waist a perfect opportunity?" and with that she grabbed Shunsui by the arm and dragged him into one of the open examining rooms. Once they were in the room she could begin her own interrogation.

Shunsui was sitting on the table starting to remove his kimono and haori when Retsu turned and looked at him with a concerned expression. "Shunsui as one of the people who had known me the longest, tell me honestly, what are you and Jushiro up to?" She could tell that he didn't want to give her an answer, but at the same time he knew that he couldn't lie to her either.

"Retsu, we trust you and we care about you. And more than anything else we love to see you happy, but I know that I am concerned that your heart is in the right place," that caught her more off guard than his first questions. "If you can honestly tell me that there is something between you an Kenpachi, and it is something of worth then Jushiro and I will not bud in any longer." He was being oddly serious, something that only happened in very specific situations.

"I wish I could tell you wither or not there is something there, but I don't even know," the tone of her voice made her feel as if she had been defeated. Deep inside she wanted to feel like there was something, the only thing that was stopping her was the fact that she couldn't read Kenpachi like she could read other people.

XXX

There was something that wasn't sitting quiet right with Kenpachi after he left the Captains meeting. He went back to his division to find everything the way it should be and he knew that he had things he should be doing, but he couldn't get the brain chatter to stop. _What is it about her that is driving me crazy?_ He spent the entire afternoon in his office trying to drown out his thought, but every time there was a knock at the door he hoped it was he; although it never was.

"Kenpachi can I ask you something?" Jushiro asked as he opened the door to the Eleventh Division office. Noticing the aggravated look on Kenpachi's face he tried to turn back.

"Sure, whatever, but it better be something important," was Kenpachi's only response.

"I may be stepping out of my place, but this is in the best interest of a friend," he said as he took a seat across form the other. "I noticed earlier this morning at the meeting that you and Retsu had been becoming closer. Is there something developing between the two of you?" a genuine question that left Kenpachi feeling slightly flustered and very unsure.

Kenpachi took a moment to think before straightening himself out and putting a very serious look on his face. "Keep in mind I'm only going to answer because you're the one asking," he responded before looking away from Jushiro. "I want there to be something there, but I don't know how she feels."

A slight smile grew on Jushiro's face. Something was telling him that more people might be aware of this development. "Well then it seems that I have been worried for nothing." Although not the response he was expecting Kenpachi was not in the mood to be pushing his luck.

"Then everything is settled?" Shunsui asked poking his head in the door only to get pulled back out by Yachiru wanting to play. Jushiro took Shunsui's question as a cry for help and showed himself out of the office and headed towards the pink pixie of a Fukutaichou. As Kenpachi watched the two men leave his division he had a hard time fighting the urge to go over to the Fourth. So instead he grabbed his Zanpaku-to and headed for the training grounds to find something to occupy his mind and his heart.

XXX

After Shunsui and Jushiro had left her office Retsu watched them leave her division and head in the direction of Kenpachi's. She was beginning to worry that something would be said and Kenpachi would loose his temper and it would all be over. Every so often she found herself looking out the window to make sure that Kenpachi wasn't sending people to her division. However she was defiantly surprised when she walked passed one of the open examining rooms and saw him sitting on one of the tables looking very distracted.

"Kenpachi? Is everything all right? You're not injured are you?" she asked sounding panicked. But her worry quickly faded when she noticed the smile on his face. "Ken-pachi?"

He just looked at her; the dark color of her eyes looked warm in the setting sunlight. "You shouldn't worry so much, at least not about me." She just looked at him, not too sure how to take the suggestion. Either he had defiantly gotten better at controlling his reiatsu or she had been more distracted then she was willing to let on. "I'm fine really, it's just that after Jushiro left my office I went down to the training grounds and managed to get a little cut up." This was exactly what she expected from him. A small smile grew on her face as she began to relax.

"You must be getting better at controlling you reiatsu, I might not have known you were here if I wasn't making my rounds again," she said trying to make short conversation. Looking at him she would not have even noticed that he was injured. "Exactly where are you injured?" she asked grabbing some gauze to clean his wounds. When she turned back around she noticed that he had removed his haori and kimono. She began to blush slightly at the sight of him. And unfortunately for her, he noticed.

She was cute when she seemed to be slightly distracted. She, apparently, had not expected him to remove his upper garments. However it did not take her long to recover and notice that his entire upper body was covered in gashed and he was bleeding a good a mount. "Kenpachi, how long have you been bleeding like this?"

"Not exactly sure, I didn't notice at first. It was the brat that told me that if I didn't come here "bad things will happen" and really I'm not willing to find out what she meant," he answered her. This was the first time he had sounded like a father.

"Kenpachi, you never seize to amaze me. You actually sound like a father." She had a smile on her face as she cleaned up the blood from his stomach.

Kenpachi couldn't take his eyes off of her smile. There was something about how at ease she always looked that caused him to smile as well. "Well, I might not always act like it, but she is my daughter and if anything were to happen to her they would have to lock me in the Maggots nest." He knew it was a strong statement, but it was no less true.

At this point she had finished tending to the wounds on his stomach and had moved to his back. "I don't believe there are many people that know that side of you. It is really wonderful how much you care for her."

"Yeah, my division makes a very strange family. But she doesn't seem to mind having Ikkaku and Yumichika as babysitters most of the time." She could feel his back muscles relax as he talked about Yachiru. It was like his heart was putting down its shield and letting her in.

"Well I managed to stop most of the bleeding, but just to be on the safe side I'm going to leave the bandage on for the next couple of days. Just to make sure nothing gets infected." She was beginning to know more and more about him, but he was still a little in the dark about her. She always looked so stoic when she was around other people. He was lucky enough to manage to catch her off guard and get to see her true smile. But he wanted to see it again. He always found himself in her division at just the right moment to leave her speechless, and he could not pass up another moment.

As she came back over to the examining table to wrap his wounds up he waited until she had her arms around his stomach to pass the gauze around his back to put his arms around her waist and pull her in closer. She glanced up at him in pure surprise. She looked as if she was going to question, but he wasn't going to give her the chance. She was so beautiful in the sunlight, possibly even more beautiful then she had been sitting under the sakura blossom tree. He leaned forward and captured her lips on a kiss.

At first she was so nervous that she could not comprehend what was happening. It was not until she instinctively started to kiss him back that she realized what was going on. She has felt safe in his arms before, but this was a completely new feeling. There was a warmth that was burning inside her as if he was warming her from the inside out. Her eyes had closed at this point and she didn't want to break away and nether did he.

He wasn't completely sure what this feeling was. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew he had to. All he wanted to do was hold on to her forever. Her soft lips against his was making him mad. As he broke away he didn't move his arms and he just looked down into her eyes. _Is this what love feels like?_

XendX

_Authors notes: I'm sorry its been a while. This chapter had been difficult. But just incase anyone is confused the Maggots Nest is in the Second Division, its like an underground prison where they hold people that are capable or could possible do something dangerous… and well if Kenpachi lost Yachiru he would probably start destroying everything. So yeah, I hoped you liked it! _


	3. How To Be In Love

_I'm so sorry that it has been so long. School had come to and end and I've been working like crazy to get everything finished. And on top of that I haven't been writing anything for my other story, Battle amidst the leaves, with Nejilovesyaoi (which is making her slightly mad at me). So I hope that this will make people happy.. Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach… I just come up with alternate stories for the awesome characters. _

The Things They Never Knew:

How To Be In Love

He held her in his arms for a good while before letting her go. Though there was a part of him that that didn't want to let her go, but he couldn't explain it. He had never felt this way about anyone, whenever she was in arms reach he never wanted to let her leave. This was completely unlike him, he was tough and strong and, people were scared of him, but she didn't see him like that. She made him feel 'soft'.

Neither of them could say anything, Kenpachi was good at leaving people speechless and he had a nact for catching Retsu off guard. Even though he had let go of her waist she still semi-immobile and starting to turn scarlet. She managed to finish wrapping his wounds in record speed, but nether of them could think of anything to say to the other. Kenpachi couldn't tell if she was scared or confused, but he couldn't help but feel that he should apologies for kissing her out of the blue like he did.

"Retsu, uh, Unohana, I really should," he started but then the examining room door flung open and there was a very tired looking Isane panting in the door frame.

"Taichou, Fong-Taichou's units have just arrived several are severely wounded and Fong- Taichou is in critical condition," Isane said trying to catch her breath.

The scarlet color on Retsu's face quickly vanished and her serious face had once again appeared. "Isane, do what you can with the second division members that are not in direr need of attention and I will see to Soi Fong," she told her Fukutaichou. The turning to Kenpachi she said, "There is no need to apologies for what happened, just don't let your division get carried away."

Kenpachi just watched her leave the room, he couldn't think of anything to say. She had left him completely speechless. She was able to go from embarrassed to confident and in control in the blink of an eye. She truly mesmerized him, and he decided then that he needed to know more about her. He knew that this had to be the beginnings of love; he just hoped that he wasn't in it alone.

XXX

The second division was going to be down by a few members after their encounter with the hollows for the twelfth division, Retsu didn't doubt that for a second, but she also knew that she had to do everything in her power to make sure that they still had a Taichou at the end of the day. She had seen Soi Fong in better shape, but this hadn't been the worst. She had lost a lot of blood and her breathing was sporadic, however she was still alive. Once Retsu had gotten her into a stable condition she allowed the Second Division Fukutaichou to stay with her incase anything were to go wrong and Retsu excused herself from the room.

It seemed that the days passed more quickly in the recent weeks. Retsu found her mind floating from one thing to another and the other just happened to be Kenpachi. He had her perplexed. There was defiantly a side to him that no one, at least that she knew, had seen. She couldn't place just how he made her feel, whenever they were around each other it didn't feel like her smiles were forced. She was seeing hat he could be someone that she could care for outside of the hospital.

"You're thinking about him aren't you?" a voice asked from behind her making her jump. When she turned around she saw that Soi Fong had managed to relieve herself of her Fukutaichou.

"It is good to see that you are walking about, but I do not think that it is wise to startle the person that tended to you," Retsu replied with a sly smile.

"As true as that may be you were thinking about him," Soi Fong shot back. "I talked with Jushiro and Shunsui the other day before the captains meeting. I know."

The smile on Retsu's face began to fade and she turned her eyes away from the other woman. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only because they are your friends and can read you better than anyone. I wouldn't worry too much about anyone else," Soi Fong said as she leaned against the wall of the hospital looking out one of the windows. The sun was just beginning to set. "Does he know how you feel?"

Retsu was a bit shocked to hear her ask that question. She stumbled a bit before she had an answer. "I don't think he does. There is a part of me that wants to tell him, but there is the part of me that is scared of what he might think," she admitted.

Soi Fong and Retsu had never been close, but when you're the only two female Taichou's in the Gotei 13 you're bound to spend some time together. Soi Fong let out a sigh, she could tell that all of this was troubling Retsu. Neither of the women had ever really seen one of their male counter parts as more than that.

"I don't think you should be too worried about it. I do believe he was the one to make the first move so you can most likely assume that he has some sort to feelings for you," she told her, "although, it is hard to comprehend the idea of Kenpachi being a kind and caring person. Burt I guess some people will just surprise you," she added crossing her arms over her chest and looking over at Retsu who was now leaning against the opposing wall.

"That makes sense; I think I am just over thinking things." There was a slight pause before the smile returned to Retsu's face. "But I must say that you should still be resting. I don't think it would be wise if you were to open your wounds."

"Of course, because my Fukutaichou is completely useless and if I wound up bleeding every where all over again I think he might just pass out," Soi Fong responded as she turned to walk back to her room. The conversations that Soi Fong and Retsu had were few and far between but were usually good ones.

Retsu watched as Soi Fong went back into her room and then turned her attention to the setting sun and let her thoughts run away. There was just something so calming about watching the sun set over the Seireitei and for once she wasn't trying to stop her mind from thinking about Kenpachi and about their kiss.

XXX

Kenpachi took as long as possible to get back to his division. He was in no real rush being as there wasn't anything waiting for him back there besides Yachiru and knowing her she would be all wound up from him not being there. He loved her like every father should love their daughter, but there was only so much he could handle at one time. He knew she would need a mother or at least someone how could be a positive female figure in her life, but marriage was not something that he wanted to think about.

Once he managed to drag his feet back to the Eleventh Division barracks he was very happy to see that everything was still standing and his men were in good shape. Nothing was in shambles and he didn't have to kill anyone, yet. Making his was to his office he could start to hear the bickering of Yumichika and Ikkaku, he almost managed to turn around and leave, but his Fukutaichou had spotted him.

"Kenny!" she yelled as she landed on his shoulders, "What took you so long? Have you been hiding all this time?"

"No, I haven't been hiding. I've been bleeding," he told her as he marched forward into his office, dropping his daughter off at her desk.

"Kenny, I think that you had everyone attack you just so you could go see Braid-lady again."

"And what makes you think that?" he asked hoping she wouldn't have an answer.

"Because whenever you go to the Fourth Division you're there for a really long time," she answered with a smile as she sat on his desk. He was beginning to think that she was getting too smart for her own good.

"Is that so?"

"Yup! And I'll let you in on a little secret," Yachiru added moving closer, "I think she likes you too." And with that she hopped off his desk and skipped out the door to wreak havoc on the rest of the division.

_I have got to stop leaving her here with the two of them._ It seemed that the more Kenpachi thought about it the more he realized what he needed to do. He had to tell her, he had to bottle up his pride and tell her how he felt. He couldn't explain everything, but he knew if he didn't say something he would drive himself mad. The next problem was figuring out how and when. He didn't want to go to Shunsui that just wasn't worth it. Some how he would figure it out.

XXX

Either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, Kenpachi and Retsu saw very little of each other in the days that followed. It gave Kenpachi time to think of the best possible way to tell her, but at the same time it distracted him from everything else. The Eleventh division had been sent on a recon mission to monitor the activity of gangs in the Rukongai.

After the mission had been completed and he reported to the First Division it was time for another Captain's meeting. By the time that the mission was complete it had been a few weeks since he had last seen Retsu and even though he had spent all that time in the Rukongai he had no clue what he was going to say. _I don't even know why I should go. I can always just say that something has come up and send Ikkaku. _But no matter how much effort he put into a lie his feet still managed to drag him to the First Division barracks just like every other time._ I have no clue what I should say, how I should start, or even if now is a good time. Maybe it will just be better if I don't say anything. _

Unfortunately for Kenpachi, Shunsui and Jushiro weren't too far behind him on their way to the barracks. They had been keeping a watch on him ever since they had their little chat and so far everything seems to be in good taste. They two had noticed a certain silence that had been coming from Kenpachi ever since Soi Fong had taken the mission to retrieve Hollows, but weren't willing to ask why. They figured it was best to assume that he was just upset about no getting to go.

That was until the silence started to affect one of their closest friends. At about the same time that they noticed Kenpachi silence they also noticed that Retsu was becoming more isolated. She had been spending more time in the Fourth Division then making calls to the other divisions. This was making them concerned.

"Jushiro we meant well didn't we?" Shunsui asked hopefully.

"I believe we did. We made sure that they were both doing whatever they were doing for the right reasons and we encouraged them to do what was right," Jushiro responded.

"I know that, but it feels like somehow their not talking and we had something to do with it."

"I don't think that either of you two could screw it up, the two of them are probably just confused," a stern voice said from behind the two men. Jumping the two spun around to find Soi Fong walking up with her Fukutaichou a few steps behind.

"Soi Fong, don't startle us like that," Shunsui said adjusting his kimono. "I know it's what your division specializes in, but please." She just shrugged and kept walking leaving her Fukutaichou more confused than normal.

XXX

The meeting went off without a hitch but the air in the room was dense. Everyone could tell something wasn't right, but no one was going to speak up. Kenpachi stood there and didn't make any obscene remarks or threaten to do anything obscene which should have been a clue that something was up. He had even left Byakuya alone throughout the meeting, something he never did. The two captains didn't make eye contact once during the meeting and when the twelve divisions were dismissed they went their separate ways.

Retsu began to wonder if Kenpachi was avoiding her because he had changed the way he felt about her, or if she had dreamt the whole thing up. Instead of going back to the Fourth she wondered herself over to the Eighth to have a cup of sake with Shunsui.

"I don't understand it; he kissed me and then nothing. I haven't talked to him in days, did I do something?" she begged to know.

"Retsu, I don't really know what to tell you. Except that maybe you should lay off the sake for a little while," Shunsui told her as he took away the bottle.

"I don't want to waltz right up to him and ask him if he has changed his mind. I would just feel stupid. Maybe you could ask for me?" she asked him with an expression that could melt any mans heart.

Shunsui took one look at her and knew that he would have to, "fine, I'll talk to him," he answered.

XXX

The following morning after returning Retsu to her living quarters in the Fourth division he made his was over to Kenpachi's office. Though when he arrived Kenpachi was no where to be found.

"It wouldn't be difficult if it wasn't Kenapchi," he said to no one.

"Why does it have to be difficult?" a voice asked from behind him.

"Because if Kenpachi did what would make my life simpler it wouldn't be worth it for Retsu."

"Why are you doing anything for Retsu?'

"Because she is one of my closest friends and she has feelings for him."

"Really now and does he know how she feels?"

"Probably not. That's why I'm here. I'm supposed to convince him that he needs to tell her how he feels. She worried that he is no longer interested n her."

"And how do you plan on telling him that?'

"I do believe I just did," Shunsui said turning around to see a very sleep deprived Kenpachi leaning on the door to his office. "But it looks like you have been up all night."

"Yeah, she's not the only one who's trying to get me to tell her. Everything I think of isn't right."

"Have you tried the truth? It tends to work for most people."

"My problem is finding the right way to tell her that won't make me look stupid."

Shunsui bit his tongue to say something that would get him hurt, and instead told Kenpachi to speak from his heart and keep it simple.

Taking what Shunsui told him to heart he figured he had till sunset to get everything right before seeing her again.

XXX

The night air was warm and the hospital the quiet. When Retsu had finished her rounds she made her way back to her office to finish up the days paper work with Isane. However when she got to her office the door had been locked and there was a note that read,

Dear Tiachou,

Since it seems to be a lovely night, why don't we have tea in the garden before finishing the paper work?

-Isane Fukutaichou

Retsu was pleasantly surprised by the idea and preceded to head towards the garden behind the division. The moon was sitting high in the sky and illuminated the whole garden even though the trees. When Retsu made it to the garden there was another note that told her to head towards the center to the garden, where the largest to the sakura trees stood. Making her was their Retsu began to feel that it wasn't going to be her Fukutaichou that she was meeting in the garden that night. When she got closer to the center of the garden she could see a very tall figure leaning against the tree.

XXX

The sound of light foot steps filled the warm night air, letting Kenpachi know that it was almost time. As the foot steps became louder and louder, Kenapchi turned to see a very happy looking Retsu standing in the moon light.

"I was hoping that you would be the one that would be waiting for me," she said with a sweet smile.

"I was hoping that you would come. There has been something on my mind that I need to tell you," he sad moving away from the tree and closer to her. He took a moment before to breath in the night air before he continued. "Retsu, I have never felt like this before about anyone. I can't get you off of my mind. I want to know you more; I think I'm falling in love with you."

Retsu began to blush and without hesitation she grabbed his hands and hopped up on toes and kissed him. "I think I'm falling in love with you too."

X-end-X

_Authors Notes: Well there it is ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate those who have waited for the final chapter and even those who haven't had to wait as long. I hoped that the story didn't disappoint too many people and that after this it still has fans. You guys are what keeps people writing. -Pet_


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